Afterwards
by theshipthattruelovesails
Summary: First fan fiction ever, just though I would add my ideas on what happens after the season finale. Definitely spoilers.


As the darkness faded away, taking his Emma with it, he glanced down to the cement. In front of him was the thing that had kept him on his villainess path for all those years. For so long, he had despised it and everything it had represented, and now, it was attached to the thing he loved most. He glanced back to her parents who were huddled together, David was comforting a crying Mary Margaret, but the pain in his eyes was vivid enough to equal the anguish in her cries. Regina and Robin had hurried off to get Henry with looks of guilt and determination. He had no doubt that they would do whatever it took to help get Emma back as well.

It was at that moment, standing alone in the middle of the dark, empty road, that Killian realized that he was alone. Not in the sense that there was no one around him, but having his other half ripped from him made him feel as if the light in his world was snuffed out and he was standing in the middle of pitch blackness, more vast than he could comprehend. He knew he had to move, go somewhere, do something, start thinking of ways to find the sorcerer, but he was paralyzed by that dagger. He heard footsteps coming towards him and then Mary Margaret was by his side, staring down at the dagger that now bore her daughters name. She told him that he should keep it, that he was the only one that they trusted to keep it safe. She offered to let him stay at the loft, but quietly shaking his head, he thanked her and told her that it would be too painful; he needed the peacefulness of his ship tonight. She said she understood and gave Killian a tight, reassuring squeeze of the arm right before David led her off into the night. Now he really was alone, well, him and the dagger. He bent down slowly, picking it up off the ground. It was heavy, slick, and cold. It felt strange to him, to now be protecting the thing he fought to destroy. He shuddered, it was cold and starting to rain, so he headed towards the docks to where his ship awaited him.

He boarded the Jolly and made his way into the captain's quarters. The grief crept up on him slowly, almost as if it had known to wait until he was alone to hit him. It was violent; it felt as though he was actually being ripped apart from the inside. He could no longer stand and sank to his knees beside his bed. Gripping the dagger in his hand and digging his hook into the mattress, he let himself cry. His sobs echoed around the room. He cried for her, for henry, for her parents, for himself. Just hours ago he had believed that his happy ending was in his grasp, she loved him. Now, it seemed further away than ever. He had almost drifted off into what would ultimately be a tumultuous sleep when he thought he had heard his name. He whipped his head around to find her, his Emma, standing in the corner, shadows dancing over her frame.

She was beautiful, of course she was, but she was also different. Her eyes didn't have the same sparkle that they usually did and there were prominent dark circle under them, her hair was flatter, and her skin a bit more pale. She took a tentative step towards him, glancing at the dagger, still gripped tightly in Killian's hand.

"Killian", She uttered his name, sounding broken, defeated almost. He stood up, leaving the dagger on the bed, and in two steps was in front of her, cradling her cheek in his palm and resting his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes and savored the contact. He could feel the wetness on her cheeks from what he could only assume were tears and that made him hurt even more because this battle she was fighting was one he couldn't help her with.

"Emma, love" Killian whispered fervently, "I thought I was never going to see you again, what happened?"

"I didn't know what was going to happen", Emma started, "there was no way to predict what I would be like and there was no way I was staying around the ones I love to find out" The ones she loved, that phrase let the tiniest bit of happiness in.

"But how are you now?" Killian questioned, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb, "it seems as if you have some control over the darkness?"

She leaned into him even closer, pressing her body into his and holding on tight, like he was the only thing keeping her from slipping away. "I have some control now", she answered, "but I'm not sure how long it will last, I can feel it, its like this dark intense pressure on my chest that is refusing to let up, like an infection that is slowly working its way through my body". Her voice grew more frantic and broken as she went on, "and I just needed to see you Killian, I just, needed to see you one more time". He knew those words, he had spoken those same ones to her not so long ago; those were words you uttered when your hope was waning.

Killian's heart lurched, "Emma, what do you mean one more time?" He felt her grip him even harder, like she was fighting something, and it felt like whatever it was, it was winning. He looked into her eyes and saw small back specks that were growing larger, covering more and more of her beautiful green ones that he could stare at for hours.

"Killian, I have to go now", she cried, breaking him from his trance. Tears formed in his eyes as he slowly nodded his head. He needed to do something before letting her go. His hook came around her back, holding her against his chest while his hand wrapped around her neck, guiding her lips to his. He kissed her, pouring out everything he was feeling into it, his desperation, his love, his adoration; he needed her to feel it. He wasn't ready to let go as she pushed him away, taking slow steps backwards but not tearing her gaze away from his. Tears were now flowing unabashedly from both of them, blurring the crisp image of her eyes, but he could have sworn that the blackness that had started to take over was a little less than it had been before.

She turned to leave, but Killian couldn't let her go without telling her one last thing. "Emma, wait!" She turned back to him and he could see how hard she was fighting, "I love you", he whispered.

Her face softened, she looked at him and smiled, still crying, "I know", she whispered back.

Then she was gone. Just like that, leaving him alone once more; but now, standing in the dark, his brows narrowed and his despair turned into determination. He was going to figure out how to get his swan back, because good always wins, and heroes always get their happy endings.


End file.
